What Sidra Water Chemistry does

Sidra Wasserchemie GmbH is a German specialty chemical manufacturer that produces and sells iron-based coagulants—primarily liquid iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) and iron(II) chloride (FeCl2) solutions—for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment. Founded in 1981 in Ibbenbüren by Swedish engineer Lars Rennerfelt, the company operates two German production sites (Ibbenbüren, North Rhine-Westphalia; Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt) plus a Belgian sales subsidiary (SIDRA Waterchemie N.V., Hemiksem, established 1985), serving approximately 600 B2B customers across Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Annual in-house output is approximately 125,000 tonnes, supplemented by ~25,000 tonnes of sourced and resold product, with permits allowing up to 200,000 tonnes of capacity. Applications span phosphorus elimination, flocculation, sludge conditioning, emulsion splitting, precipitation, and sulfide elimination.

The company's product portfolio centers on iron(III) chloride-based liquid coagulants, with additional tailormade customer-specific formulations for industrial process water, drinking water preparation, and metal surface treatment. Sidra processes iron raw materials (ore, secondary iron, and iron-containing pickling solutions) with chlorine and hydrochloric acid into trivalent iron salt solutions under technology licensed from Dutch partner Nomexem B.V., which is also the majority shareholder. A decades-long pipeline supply of chlorine from neighboring Neolyse Ibbenbüren GmbH (AkzoNobel/Evonik JV) anchors the production economics. Go-to-market is exclusively B2B direct sales with no intermediaries; pricing is quote-based and supports custom formulations. The company is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 at both German sites, and its iron(II) chloride, iron(III) chloride, and iron chloride sulfate are registered with ECHA under REACH via the INCOPA consortium.

In 2024, Sidra generated approximately €40 million in revenue and ~€10 million in EBITDA (a ~25% margin) with 60+ employees, up from 33 in 2018. In February 2026, Kemira Oyj announced an agreement to acquire Sidra for approximately €75 million (roughly 1.9x revenue and 7.5x EBITDA), pending German Federal Cartel Office clearance and expected to close in H1 2026—an exit that validates the asset as a strategic fit within Kemira's water-treatment platform.

Name

Sidra Water Chemistry

Legal name

SIDRA Wasserchemie GmbH

Website

https://sidra.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sidra Wasserchemie GmbH is a German specialty chemical manufacturer producing iron(III) and iron(II) chloride coagulants for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment, serving roughly 600 B2B customers across Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands from two German production sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Treatment Chemicals

NAICS

Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251), Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Coagulants, Flocculants & Dewatering Aids (IMAEAJAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals (IMAEAJAC)

Keywords

• Iron-based coagulants
• Water treatment chemicals
• Ferric chloride solutions
• Wastewater purification chemistry
• Phosphorus removal reagents

Headquarters

HQ city

Ibbenbüren

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. B2B Direct Sales of Iron Chemicals: SIDRA sells liquid iron-based specialty products exclusively in B2B direct customer business to approximately 600 customers in Germany and Benelux. Revenue is generated through the sale of approximately 125,000 tonnes annually of iron-III-chloride solutions produced in-house, plus 25,000 tonnes of externally sourced products that are refined and resold. The company also sells tailor-made (custom-formulated) products for specific industrial customer requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sidra Wasserchemie GmbH produces and sells liquid iron(III) chloride (Eisen-III-Chlorid / FeCl3) and iron(II) chloride (Eisen-II-Chlorid / FeCl2) solutions used as coagulants and flocculants in municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment. The company's primary product, iron-III-chloride, is supplied typically at 40% concentration and used for phosphorus/phosphate elimination, flocculation, sludge conditioning, emulsion splitting, precipitation, and sulfide elimination. Approximately 125,000 tonnes are produced annually in-house plus 25,000 tonnes of sourced and refined products are traded, with distribution to about 600 B2B customers in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Product overview

Sidra Wasserchemie GmbH is a family-owned specialty chemical company that produces and distributes iron-based coagulants for water treatment and wastewater purification. The product portfolio centers on liquid iron(III) chloride solutions (Eisen-III-Chlorid) as the core product, complemented by iron(II) chloride solutions (Eisen-II-Chlorid). Products are used for municipal sewage treatment, drinking water treatment, phosphorus elimination, flocculation, sludge conditioning, emulsion splitting, and sulfide elimination. Annual production capacity is approximately 125,000 tonnes at two German production sites (Ibbenbüren and Bitterfeld), with an additional 25,000 tonnes of sourced and refined products. The company also operates a subsidiary in Belgium (SIDRA Waterchemie N.V.) and licenses iron compound production technology from Nomexem B.V. (Netherlands). An online consumption calculator tool supports customers in estimating chemical dosages. Sidra serves approximately 600 B2B customers in Germany and Benelux, generating around EUR 20 million in annual revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Eisen-III-Chlorid (Ferric Chloride) Liquid iron(III) chloride (FeCl3) solutions used as coagulants and flocculants for water treatment, wastewater purification, phosphorus/phosphate elimination, flocculation, sludge conditioning, emulsion splitting, precipitation processes, and sulfide elimination. Available in 40% concentration as Sidra's primary product for phosphate precipitation. Registered with ECHA under REACH. Sold B2B to municipal sewage treatment plants and industrial water treatment customers in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
• Eisen-II-Chlorid (Ferrous Chloride) Liquid iron(II) chloride (FeCl2) solutions used in water and wastewater treatment applications. Registered with ECHA under REACH alongside Sidra's iron-III products. Sold B2B alongside Eisen-III-Chlorid as part of Sidra's iron-based coagulant portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 125,000 tonnes of iron chemical products produced annually at Ibbenbüren site

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nomexem B.V.coreTechnology or IntegrationNomexem B.V., based in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands, has been licensing iron-III-salt production technology to SIDRA since the company's founding. Since 1984, Nomexem has been engaged in the utilization of technical know-how, production of iron compounds, licensing, and financial participation in production plants for iron-III-salt solutions. Four licenses are currently granted, with current license contracts producing more than 100,000 tonnes of iron compounds annually. Nomexem B.V. is also the majority shareholder of SIDRA Wasserchemie.
• INCOPA (Inorganic Coagulants Producers Association) / CEFICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIDRA is a member of INCOPA, the Inorganic Coagulants Producers Association, operating under the European Chemicals Industry Council (CEFIC) umbrella. INCOPA was formed to address shared problematics, develop joint REACH registration dossiers, and share costs for chemical substance registration under EU regulations. SIDRA's iron-II-chloride, iron-III-chloride, and iron-III-chloride sulfate are registered with ECHA through this consortium.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USALCO: US-based manufacturer of aluminum-based and iron-based water treatment chemicals serving municipal and industrial customers; comparable product set and direct competition in the coagulant category.
• Pencco: US-based manufacturer of aluminum- and iron-based coagulants for municipal and industrial water treatment; comparable as a coagulant specialist with similar chemistry portfolio and customer use cases.
• Feralco AB: Swedish-based producer of ferric chloride and other iron-based coagulants for water and wastewater treatment, with a similar Scandinavian origin and product mix to SIDRA; arguably the closest direct European iron-coagulant specialist peer.
• Kronos Ecochem: Netherlands-based producer of iron salts (ferrous and ferric sulfate, ferric chloride) for water treatment; directly comparable as a regional iron-coagulant manufacturer serving the same Benelux/NW European market.

Broad incumbents

• Tessenderlo Group: Belgian diversified chemical group with activities in water treatment solutions (including coagulants and crop solutions); comparable as a Benelux-headquartered water chemistry incumbent with overlapping municipal/industrial customer base.
• SNF Group: French-headquartered global specialty chemical group and a leading producer of flocculants and coagulants for water and wastewater treatment; comparable as a broad water-treatment chemistry incumbent with overlapping municipal/industrial customers.
• Solenis: Global specialty chemicals producer serving water-intensive industries including municipal water treatment with coagulants, flocculants, and related chemistries; comparable as a broader water-treatment incumbent with adjacent chemistries.
• Kemira Oyj: Finnish global leader in water-intensive chemistry including coagulants and flocculants; both a direct competitor across water treatment and SIDRA's announced acquirer (per February 2026 announcement, ~€75M).
• BASF SE: German-headquartered global chemical major with a water treatment chemicals portfolio (coagulants, flocculants, process chemicals) and inorganic chemistry footprint; comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the same DACH water-treatment space.

Regional players

• Chemifloc Group: Irish producer of ferric chloride, polyaluminum chloride, and other coagulants for water and wastewater treatment; comparable as a regional iron-coagulant specialist with similar customer profile in municipal/industrial water.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sidra Water Chemistry